


luxurious

by Esbion



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Domestic, Established Relationship, Hair Washing, M/M, Post-Hogwarts
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-12
Updated: 2020-11-12
Packaged: 2021-03-09 04:46:35
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,647
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27208345
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Esbion/pseuds/Esbion
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy has always been admired for his long hair. He decides it's time for a change but his new short haircut leaves him feeling exposed and vulnerable. Albus is there to show him short hair can be just as beautiful.
Relationships: Scorpius Malfoy/Albus Severus Potter
Comments: 8
Kudos: 60
Collections: HP Suds Fest 2020





	luxurious

**Author's Note:**

> Based on a prompt by user Nerdherette! Thanks for giving me the chance to write some soapy Scorbus and thanks to the mods for running this fest <3

Scorpius could hardly recognize himself. He stared at himself in the mirror the barber held up for him. His hair was cut short, shorter than it had been in a long time. He looked more like his father than himself.

“You like it?” asked the barber.

“Yeah,” Scorpius lied.

He had been so sure he wanted this, when he’d walked in. His recent move out of Malfoy Manor and into Albus’s apartment had opened his mind up to new possibilities. Scorpius wanted to try a new look for the first time in thirteen years. He had thought that there would be some satisfaction in it, that he would feel better after making this change.

But now, sitting in the barber’s chair and watching the man sweeping the tendrils of his long, white-blonde, silken hair laying on the floor, Scorpius felt a huge sense of heaviness, of loss.

When he was nine years old, Scorpius began to grow out his hair. He would sit with his mother and let her brush it as she asked him about his day. She taught him how to wash it twice a week, how to brew a potion that kept his hair growing fast and how to apply oils to make it shiny. Scorpius quite liked resembling the portraits of his ancestors that lined the walls of Malfoy Manor; he thought they looked elegant and beautiful. He was carrying on the tradition of generations of wizards. By the time he got to school, his hair reached past his shoulders, midway down his back. He had longer hair than all the boys and a good amount of the girls in his year. He was known as “the kid with the long hair” for a good portion of his school days. His mane was one of the first things people commented on upon meeting him. When he started dating, every bloke he went out with complimented him on how amazing his hair was. And now it was gone.

Scorpius stood up and walked towards the door. With every step he made he was aware of the lack of weight on his head. Scorpius had never realized how much his hair weighed before. Instead of feeling free, he felt disconcerted.

He wondered if he had just made a huge mistake.

***

Albus couldn’t wait to see his boyfriend. After a long weekend of being at work--there were highly-wanted criminals on the loose, and it had been the Aurors’ job to hunt them down-- he wanted nothing more than to curl up with Scorpius on their sofa and share their warmth.

He opened the door to their flat. It was a small place, with the living room and kitchen adjacent to each other. There was just enough space for a couple sofas, covered in the emerald-green fabric that Scorpius preferred. A small bookshelf stood against the wall, with books organized in alphabetical order. The walls were hand-painted green with silver specks, a color palette reminiscent of the Slytherin dormitory the two of them had shared in school. It wasn’t much, but it was theirs.

He glanced around the room. It was empty, which was strange because usually Scorpius would be sitting on their couch, reading a book to unwind from his long day working as a Healer while waiting for Albus to come home, or else he would be in the kitchen area preparing a hot meal. Today he was doing neither.

Albus made his way to the bedroom. He saw Scorpius and gasped. “Your hair,” he blurted. “It’s....it’s gone.”

Scorpius turned his face, as if by looking away he could stop Albus from seeing. Even from this angle, Albus could see Scorpius’s alabaster skin going pink. “Yeah. I got it cut.”

“Why?”

“I--I don’t know...I just thought it was a good idea.”

Albus continued to stare at him. He had never imagined Scorpius with short hair before.

“It’s bad. I know.” Scorpius said with a cringe. He grabbed a towel out of the closet and headed for the bathroom.

“No,” Albus said. “That’s not what I meant--”

Scorpius was already gone, headed into the bathroom.

After a second’s hesitation, Albus walked up to the door and knocked. “Can I come in?” He stood at the door, waiting for a sound, until he heard Scorpius’s voice.

“Come in,” Scorpius said, sounding thoroughly miserable.

Albus walked into the bathroom.

Scorpius was sitting half-submerged in the tub, staring gloomily into the water. Scorpius couldn’t help but feel naked, and not just because he wasn’t wearing any clothing. Normally his hair fell on either side of his face, draping beautifully over his neck and shoulders. Now he felt cold and exposed, with nothing there to cover him.

He was acutely aware of Albus’s eyes on him, taking in his new appearance. He found himself thinking about the way Albus sometimes brushed his hair out of his eyes for him, the way Albus sometimes buried his hands in his hair when they were snogging, and how he used to casually play with his hair when they were sitting together. All of that wasn’t possible, anymore.

“Hey,” Albus said, coming over to stand over Scorpius in the tub. “You know I love you no matter what your hair looks like, right?” he said, as if he could read Scorpius’s mind.

Scorpius looked up at Albus. His bright-green eyes seemed genuine. “Yeah. I know.”

Still, it didn’t feel right. He couldn’t stop touching the back of his head where his hair ended, feeling the absence of those silky locks. With a sigh, Scorpius reached for the basket of hair products sitting next to the tub. He picked up his favorite shampoo.

“Let me do that for you,” Albus said.

Scorpius tilted his head curiously at him. “Wash my hair?”

“Yeah,” Albus took the bottle from him.

“Ah...okay.”

Albus had no idea what he was doing. He had never washed anyone else’s hair before, but for Scorpius, he would try. He started by wetting Scorpius’s hair, guiding his head towards the faucet and turning on the water. Albus opened the bottle and took a dollop of shampoo on his hands, then sank his hands into Scorpius’s hair.

Scorpius leaned back in the tub and let Albus work the shampoo into his hair. The pads of Albus’s fingers felt cool pressing against Scorpius’s scalp as he began to lather up, building up lots of foam. His hands were gentle and careful, working the shampoo into his hair slowly with neither the rush of a hairdresser nor the forcefulness of a parent. His fingers moved smoothly from the crown of Scorpius’s head, to his temples, to his nape, and back again. Scorpius struggled and failed to hold back a low moan.

Albus stopped abruptly. “Are you okay?”

“Oh, yes,” Scorpius said. “Keep going. Please.”

“Alright,” Albus got back to work. He took care to keep the soap out of Scorpius’s eyes, angling Scorpius’s head upwards so that the shampoo would not run down his face and sting his eyes.

Albus was applying more shampoo than was strictly needed. Scorpius himself would have only used a dollop the size of a Knut, just enough to wash off the day’s grease. Albus did not skimp. He used plenty of shampoo as he massaged Scorpius’s scalp, creating more and more luxurious foam. The strong scent of his shampoo washed over Scorpius. It was a shampoo he’d picked out for himself years ago at a swanky shop on Diagon Alley. The scent smelled like coconut with a touch of honey. It was sweet and fresh, but not overpowering. It was comforting in a way no other scent could be, and so was the touch of Albus’s fingers that intimately knew him. In his hands, Scorpius felt safe and peaceful and _right_. He wanted to stay here forever.

Albus noticed the way Scorpius’s body became more and more relaxed as he washed his hair, the stiffness in his shoulders easing. Albus smiled to himself. He poured more water over Scorpius’s head, washing the foam out of his hair until the suds were gone. Albus glanced over at the basket of hair products, looking for a conditioner. “Wow, I don’t even know what half of these are,” Albus said. “Which one do you want?”

“Just pick whatever,” Scorpius said, a little impatiently, already missing Albus’s hands in his hair.

Scorpius breathed a sigh, a soft sound of satisfaction as Albus began to condition Scorpius’s hair. He was meticulous, his fingers spreading the slick solution through every strand, ensuring that Scorpius’s hair would be nice and soft when he was done.

After applying the conditioner, Albus paused to let it sit for a couple minutes. “It really does look good on you,” Albus said.

“You think so?”

“I can see your face better,” Albus brushed his fingers against Scorpius’s jaw. “I think you look gorgeous.”

“You’re flattering me,” Scorpius said with a blush. He glanced at the mirror, surveying himself. He could see what Albus meant.

“It’s true,” Albus said. “Now let me rinse your hair.” Scorpius complied, getting into position with his head underneath the faucet.

Albus rinsed Scorpius’s hair out with another stream of warm water, then started drying it with a towel. Albus could have used a drying spell, but Scorpius was glad he didn’t. He liked the way it felt, having his hair patted with a warm, fluffy towel. Once his hair was dry enough for his liking, Albus stopped. “Come on and get out. The water’s getting cold.”

Scorpius pulled the drain and stood up. Albus held out a bathrobe to him and he took it, wrapping the warm, plush velour around him.

“Why don’t we do this more often?” he murmured.

Albus pressed a kiss into his still-damp hair. “We can if that’s what you want.”

“Yeah,” Scorpius beamed, “I’d like that.”


End file.
